The zipshot seems a tad too flimsy for me – I really want to experiment with astrophotography and seriously long exposures, say 30 seconds or longer. The trailpix seems like a great idea, except for the fact that I really like to do a lot of my shooting after I set up camp…which requires my trekking poles for my tent.

I was seriously intrigued by the VPod, but alas one really can't find it anywhere, and just about everything that is relatively solid seems to weight 2 pounds or more.

If you are going "table top" size and want UL, I agree that the Ultrapod II is the way to go. Oben makes a couple table top versions that are light and a bit more solid, as well as Manfrotto. The old Polaroid SX-70 tripods (a knockoff of the classic Leizt/Lieca design) are quite solid and portable. You can find them on eBay for ~$25

I used a joby gorilla pod (6.7oz) for all my star shots until now. It worked really well. It's low to the ground but you just have to set it in a higher place or with something interesting, like a lake in front of you. You can see some photos taken on it HERE .

What are you going to do with a little Ultrapod when you are above timber line and there aren't any trees to attach to?

I always carry a tripod into the backcountry, but I need one that will raise the camera up to roughly chest level. Currently I use one that raises to about 40" and weighs less than 18 ounces. However, it has a pan-tilt head with QR. Some people need a ball head. Ball heads just give me heartburn.

If the wind is blowing too hard, I just pile up rocks around the tripod feet.

Those look like great suggestions guys! I guess I just assumed to get anything of any substance that wouldn't be too shaky but still didn't weigh 4 pounds I'd have to go short. But if I can get a normal-sized one…..

Chest-level and eye-level are subjective heights. It depends somewhat on the camera in use.

For example, if I am using a long telephoto lens and trying to shoot birds in flight, then the lens goes onto the tripod head and the camera attaches to the back of the lens. The whole camera end of that is sticking out a foot behind the tripod head, and you need a big gimbal head for that. As you elevate the front of the lens, the back of the camera will drop down. As a result of that, you need to have a tripod that will elevate to slightly above eye level. Either that or else you will have to bend over to get your eye down to the camera, and that isn't practical for long. I find the articulated rear display to be inferior to the optical viewfinder.

If I am using a normal lens camera, I might be trying to shoot a shot of me on top of some peak. There, it is ideal if the camera height is roughly the same as eye height. My lightweight tripod isn't that tall, but at least it gets to chest height, so that works.

Lately I have shifted over to a small sensor camera, so I don't need the massive length of the big telephoto lenses, so I don't need the massive tripod. For backpacking, I can go with an entire rig with all parts that adds up to less than 3 pounds, and that includes remote cord, spare batteries, polarizer, tripod, etc.

Since I'm upgrading from one of those 1 oz, quarter-inch-tall joby do-hickies I'm assuming I don't need much. I really just want something solid to take nice flowing waterfall shots, play with exposures at dawn and dusk, play with HDR, and learn how to do astro shots.

I like those nice cheap models you guys mentioned….of course the folded size of the meFOTO table top one looks quite appealing.

If you are shooting a photo of yourself or doing HDR, just about any tripod will hold the camera. If you are shooting a nice flowing waterfall, you are typically shooting at a large fraction of one second, like 1/8th or 1/4, so just about any tripod will hold that one as well. As soon as you jump into astrophotography, you are sometimes talking about a large fraction of one minute or longer, so it is kind of a different game. For the long exposures, you probably want to have a remote shutter cord. That allows you to shoot without the jiggle from the finger on the shutter button. You can eliminate the cord by shooting with a time delay like two seconds. However, I never find that so convenient.

I was actually just in the camera store today and spend a little time in the tripod department. They had a big display of the MeFoto tripods. They are really nice and well built but they are REALLY heavy. I couldn't find the exact weight, and while the smallest one seem nice, sturdy and compact, it also seemed unnecessarily heavy. There was a good variety of SLIK tripod and one in particular looked really great. Sturdy, lightweight, and built well. Or course now I'm having a hard time finding it bc I don't remember the name. However while look I have stumbled on a number of full range tripods that are lihtwieht that might fit the bill.

Slik Compact Tripod II (1.26lbs)

Slik Sprint Mini II GM 4-Section Tripod (1.74lbs) This is the one i saw. if your willing to carry the weight it seems like an awesome all around tripod. it's really tall and really well built. I would use this as my day to day tripod in a heartbeat.

If you are really sure that you want a ballhead on it, then fine. I've had too many ballheads, and I hate them. A good pan/tilt head works best for me. In any case, you have to decide about a quick release style. Many heads have the QR already built on, but if you use multiple tripods, you don't want to have multiple QR plates to deal with. You almost need to standardize on one type, equip everything with that one type, and then go to work.

Now, assuming that this is purely for ultralightweight backpacking, then I believe that you want something in the 16-24 ounce category, and no more. Then just try to get as many of the features that you want. The more complicated it is, the longer it will take you to deploy it, and then you've lost the shot.

I recently picked up the Sirui that Megan mentioned. While more expensive than the other options, it's a very high quality tripod and is really a killer price compared to similar carbon tripods from Gitzo, etc. The weight spec is a bit optimistic (it's more like 30 oz) although the stock ballhead is pretty beefy and could be swapped for a lighter head. It has a six year warranty. There's a very in depth review with comparisons to some other similar tripods here:http://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/sirui-t-025x-travel-tripod-review/introduction.html

The Giottos RT-8150 with one of the lightweight Giottos ballheads is another (cheaper and lighter) option.

I've been going through the same process. My current tripod plus ball head is 4.0 lb, and that was considered light when I bought it years ago (Gitzo 120, Giotto M1002). I never take it backpacking, just local walks and sometimes dayhikes. I have a small light micro 4/3 camera.

Bob Gross's 18 oz Targus. I can't find this. The problem with cheap light tripods is that it can be hard to find a good one; perhaps spending time at a camera show flea market with a scale. You could spend a lot of money on cheap tripods.

"Wibble wobble wibble wobble jelly on a plate" from an amazon review of a cheap tripod.

What to do? There doesn't seem to be a lot available between the 4 oz Ultrapod and travel tripods that are nearly 2 lb. I'm tempted by the Sirius T-025X or T-005X but I'd be happier if they were closer to 1 lb.

They are not constantly available. I found it in a Target store. Often there are similar models with similar features and similar costs.

As a general rule, carbon fiber is a nice material for tripod legs. However, it adds a lot of cost. The cost would be tolerable if it saved a lot of weight (as compared to aluminum or something). However, carbon fiber doesn't save that much weight except in the larger tripods (like 6 feet tall). So, with the short travel tripods like we are discussing, aluminum is often the simple choice. Carbon fiber does have a better dampening effect on vibration, so if you were sitting out next to a highway trying to take a shot, carbon fiber might help. However, I think we are talking about this for ultralightweight backpacking purposes, and that is probably a long way from the vibration of a highway.

I agree, Walter; I was thinking I could get the Sirui to close a pound so I was disappointed how much over spec it was. The nice thing though is that you can take parts off as needed. Some additional weights and heights without the stock ballhead (which weighs 6.75 oz):